JAI 307 colour challenge - bear hugs birthday

It's time for a colour challenge at Just Add Ink & Nikki has chosen this combination.

To be honest, my initial reaction was "uugghhh!" totally due to the inclusion of delightful dijon - I don't think it's particularly delightful, but I'm sure others do. If you're not familiar with the shade, I should also add that the button pic does not show its true deep mustardy-ness.

However there's a reason it's called a challenge so I gave myself a good pep talk (as you do) & came up with this idea using my honey loving friend, Mr Bear. The dijon actually played along very nicely with the greys & the card came together quickly. It would have been finished even quicker  if I hadn't added some grunge to the almost finished card, decided I didn't like it & started again!

I think the sentiment from Party With Cake adds fun & humour & prompted me to add LOTS more of honey for Mr Bear (well, Winnie the Pooh seemed to really like it).

More about the card
- All elements are stamped in basic grey archival ink on thick whisper white card. I LOVE this ink. It's waterproof, stamps beautifully & is such a great colour - not as harsh as black but still nice & deep.
- Mr Bear, the honey pots & floor are watercoloured only with delighful dijon & smoky slate ink pads & an aquapainter. Love that you can get so many shades from the same colour. I hand cut them rather than using the matching dies so I didn't have a white edge. I also curved them to make more of a 3d look (using the rounded end of my paper piercing tool) & popped them on dimensionals.
Here's a closer pic:

Mr Bear made another appearance on the inside. Aren't the sentiments in Party With Cake perfect?

The card grew around the elements so the finished front is a little larger than standard (15.5 x 12cm / 6-1/8 x 4-3/4in. to be exact) so I made a matching envelope with the envelope punch board using delightful dijon envelope paper. See, I'm trying to embrace the dijon.

To grunge or not to grunge - a cautionary tale
You may recall me saying I re-made the card after adding some grunge to my first version. Don't get me wrong - I'm not a grunge-hater & thought it could work here - & bears are kind of messy but I think I chose the wrong splatter & then did too much, so it was all over for me :-o.
However, my darling man actually liked the grungy version more than the clean version, so I thought I'd share it here too & you can decide which you prefer, Please don't judge my grunge :-)

I did like the softer look of the floor in this one, & the inside which I did after I finished the non-grungy version. Somehow the bear holding the honey makes me smile & I liked the dijon line around the card.

 

So, what do you think - grunge or not?

Thanks very much for visiting today. I hope my Mr Bear card made you smile. It certainly made me smile making it. I'll leave you with a final combined pic for you to pin for later. Do check out all the team's creations on the JAI blog too, as they've used the challenge colours in so many great ways.

I'd better fly as tomorrow's a big day. I'm going to our Stampin' Up! Onstage demonstrator event where we'll get our first peek of our new 2016-17 Annual Catalogue. Exciting, huh! Stay tuned for more info as I can share.
Inky wishes, Di

Supplies
To see & order any items used in today's project, just click on the items below to see them in my Online Store. You can order from me if you live anywhere in Australia. I would love to be your Demonstrator if you don't already have one. Please allow "Demonstrator contact" in your preferences so I can thank you properly when you place your order.
Note - Stamp sets & bundles noted below may be available in other mount options (eg wood, cling rubber or photopolymer). I have listed the option that I used plus other options at the bottom of the list. Please check my online store for all options.

Print Recipe

Product List

Bear Hugs Clear-Mount Bundle	Party With Cake Clear-Mount Stamp Set	Basic Gray Archival Stampin’ Pad	Smoky Slate Classic Stampin' Pad	Delightful Dijon Classic Stampin' Pad
2014-2016 In Color Stampin' Write Markers	Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock	Whisper White A4 Card Stock	Basic Gray A4 Card Stock	Delightful Dijon A4 Cardstock
2015-2017 In Color Envelope Paper	Aqua Painters	Everyday Chic Designer Washi Tape	Subtles Candy Dots	Envelope Punch Board
Bear Hugs Clear-Mount Stamp Set	Bear Hugs Framelits Dies	Party With Cake Clear-Mount Bundle